Guided Coffee Tasting: Brewing Moments of Clarity through Nel Drip Coffee with Nahoko Yamaguchi

Please note there are two sessions for this event at 1 pm and 3:30 pm. Please select your session during check-out.

Admission to this event also includes admission to the Daibo Coffee Manual book talk.

To heighten the sense of stillness central to this event, most of this tasting will be conducted in silence and we ask all mobile devices be turned off. Attendees are encouraged to ask questions before or after the event, but we ask you to maintain silence during the actual tasting. Further, please turn off all cell phones and mobile devices. We ask for no photos or videos or interruptions during this tasting.

Join us for an intimate afternoon with Nahoko Yamaguchi —founder of NAHOKO PRESS and publisher of A Daibo Coffee Manual—as she brings the quiet grace of Japanese coffee culture to life in the United States through personal reflection and a guided tasting session, facilitated via a small-scale Nel Drip (a Japanese pour-over coffee method) experience. Inspired by the aesthetic principle of Shizukesaya—a sense of serene stillness—Yamaguchi invites you to pause and savor a moment of quiet joy through the thoughtful preparation and enjoyment of coffee roasted by Mr. Katsuji Daibo himself.

Drawing from her observation of and engagement with Katsuji Daibo, legendary Tokyo coffee master and proprietor of the beloved but now defunct Daibo Coffee, Yamaguchi will prepare hand-poured coffees for two small groups. Each cup is a reflection of Daibo’s philosophy: to create a space where one might “shed their armor and return to their true self, in the most peaceful way possible, even though the taste of coffee should fulfill that role.” The tasting will be accompanied by exquisite sweets crafted by Tokyo-based bean-to-bar chocolate artisan Yusuke Kabuki and Kyoto-based wagashi (traditional Japanese confectionery) artist Okashimaru. Please see here for wagashi allergen information. Guests will further receive detailed notes on the coffees, brewing techniques and confections featured in this experience.

In New York City, coffee is often consumed on the go—an energizing companion to busy schedules and bustling streets. In contrast, Tokyo’s relationship with coffee reflects a deeper sensibility. Since its introduction to Japan in the late 19th century, cafes have evolved into a place of quiet contemplation—a retreat where time slows, and the rituals of preparation and presentation hold equal importance to the beverage itself. As anthropologist Merry White observes in Coffee Life in Japan, the Japanese kissaten is a place “where the space matters, the coffee counts, where for a time recreation and respite replace responsibility and repetition in ordinary life.”

We invite you to experience the quiet beauty of this contemplative ritual—a celebration of craftsmanship, presence, and the small joys found in everyday moments.

About Nahoko Yamaguchi’s NAHOKO PRESS
Founded in Tokyo in 2014 by Nahoko Yamaguchi, NAHOKO PRESS is an independent publisher dedicated to Japanese coffee and tea culture. Its publications, including A Daibo Coffee Manual and POEMS BY BAISAO, explore the subtle depth of everyday rituals, offering resonances that transcend language and invite quiet reflection. NAHOKO PRESS takes its name from the Zen term shin-in—“to press a stamp upon one’s heart.” Guided by this philosophy, Yamaguchi collaborates with trusted artists and designers to weave quiet moments into everyday life: a letterpressed book, a handcrafted coffee tool, or the ritual of morning tea. Each piece reflects Japanese culture, refined simplicity, and an appreciation for the small moments of daily life, offering timeless craftsmanship that invites stillness, warmth and joy into everyday rhythms.

About A Daibo Coffee Manual
Skilled coffee maker Katsuji Daibo ran the acclaimed Daibo Coffee in Tokyo from 1975 until 2013. A Daibo Coffee Manual, written by Daibo himself, offers a guide to a deeper understanding of coffee, its sociality and a philosophic rendering of meaning in its making and drinking. Filled with lyrical prose and printed with great attention to detail, the book itself is made with the same care and dedication as a cup of Daibo’s coffee.


Autographs and Book Sales
A very limited number of copies of A Daibo Coffee Manual signed by Katsuji Daibo will be available as well as Daibo Coffee tools. A pre-sale link will be sent to all attendees after your order confirmation. Please pre-order your book or tools before the event begins. All pre-sold items will be personally presented to their purchaser at Japan Society by Nahoko Yamaguchi. No items will be sold onsite.

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Japan Society Food Events are sponsored by BALMUDA and Kikkoman Corporation.

Support for cultural programs is provided by Anime NYC; the Sandy Heck Lecture Fund; Faith L. Taylor; and Jean Fan Colson and Daniel Colson.

Japan Society programs are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

Japan Society’s 120th anniversary initiatives and related programs are generously supported by Champion Sponsor, MUFG Bank, Ltd.; Advocate Sponsor, Mizuho Americas; and Friend Sponsor, Mitsubishi Corporation (Americas).